The Principal and Chief Executive of Bishop Burton College is to retire at the end of the academic year after six years in the role.
Bill Meredith has spent a large part of his 42 years in land-based education at Bishop Burton College, during which time the college has consistently performed as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for its residential provision in Ofsted terms.
The College remains true to its agricultural roots but has diversified its curriculum considerably over the years to include subjects such as Engineering, Animal Management, Equine, Sport and Public Services. This approach has fueled the growth that was needed to enable the college to thrive and maintain its independent specialist Land-based college status with a turnover currently topping £30m.
Riseholme College near Lincoln merged with the College in 2012 and, soon after, Bill became heavily involved in the development of a totally new campus on the Lincolnshire Showground. The merger has since proved incredibly successful and has secured the future of land-based education in Lincolnshire.
As Principal, Bill led on the College’s successful bid to become a founding member of both the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology and the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology. This has led to substantial capital investment in Agri-tech teaching resources including the Centre for Precision Agriculture at Bishop Burton and the Centre for Agri-Food Technology at Riseholme.
More recently Bill realised a long-held ambition to establish a new Centre for Pig Industry Training on the college’s 890-acre farm, demonstrating the College’s enduring commitment to the livestock industry.
Bill said: “I feel it’s time to step down and make way for someone who can commit themselves to writing the next chapter of the College’s success story. I’m so grateful to have worked with such a dedicated staff team and for the support I’ve had from our College Board and industry partners.”
